Butterfly

9. The Edge

I roll over, my eyes opening, gasping slightly for breath, the sensation of water filling my lungs fading slowly, leaving a lingering chill. I blink into the darkness, steadying my breathing, and I slip out of the covers. I pull on a sports bra, slipping my oversized sleep t-shirt over my head again, and I open my door tentatively, wincing as the hinges squeak.

There's no sound from the rest of the apartment, the lights out, and I pad quietly down the hall, slipping out the front door. I close it behind me with a soft click, the concrete of the floor cold under my bare feet as I make my way to the stairway, up the stairs, pushing open the door to the roof.

There's a figure, sitting on the edge where he always is, and I let the door close behind me quietly. Walking over, I sit down a couple feet away, and he doesn't look at me, just letting out a breath. I wait for the sweet scent of his cigarette to reach me, then realize he's not holding a cigarette when he pulls a lollipop from his mouth, holding the stick in his fingers as if it's a cigarette.

"You're not smoking?"

My words sound loud even though I speak softly, out here in the silence, and Jimin shakes his head, leaning back on his hands, slipping the lollipop into his mouth again.

"I'm quitting."

I blink. "Really?"

He chuckles, his voice low. "Yeah."

"Wow."

He nods again, pulling the lollipop from his lips again, tilting his head as he examines it. I watch him, his profile barely visible in the darkness.

"Why?"

He exhales slowly, and I can see a smirk pulling at his lips. "Why does it matter?"

I shrug, turning to look over the buildings again, watching the lights of the traffic. "It doesn't."

He chuckles lightly, and we sit in silence, both just looking out over the darkness, enjoying the silence.

"Can't sleep?"

I nod. "It's too loud in my room."

"Ah." Jimin nods. "Well, my bed is always open."

I can't help a laugh, caught off guard and flustered, and he grins slightly, glancing at me finally. "You laughed."

I shake my head, a slight smile still on my lips. "No, I didn't."

"You did." He pulls his legs up, getting to his feet, balancing on the low wall over the emptiness.

"Do you like flirting with death or something?"

He chuckles lightly, turning to look down at me. "Why?"

"You smoke, you sit on the edge of a ten story building, and now you're standing over said ten story drop."

Jimin chuckles again, softly, turning to look over the city, the lights, the moving cars and stationary buildings. "You should try it."

"What?"

He turns to look down at me again. "It feels...free."

His eyes are so real, so much more open for a brief moment before he clears his throat, walking over to where I sit. "Come on."

"Are you insane?"

Jimin chuckles. "Probably."

I look up at him, and he raises an eyebrow at me, reaching out a hand. "I won't let you fall."

Finally I nod slowly, reaching up to take his hand, surprisingly soft and warm. I get to my feet carefully, letting him help steady me, and he grins at me, tilting his head.

"See, that wasn't so hard."

I blink, slightly unsteady, wondering if I'm insane, standing here on the very edge of a ten-story building, and I close my eyes, afraid to look down into the emptyness, everything suddenly seeming so much higher now, the fall so much more possible.

Jimin chuckles lightly, behind me, and I startle, not realizing he was so close. I stiffen as his arms wrap around me, pulling me to his chest, holding me back against him. His voice is close to my ear, soft, dropping to almost a whisper. "I've got you."

I open my eyes, unsteady at his arms around me, which is probably not the best thing on the edge of a roof, but I can't pull away, staring out over the darkness, the feeling of being so high exhilarating, breathtaking, or maybe that's just Jimin, his arms around me, my back pressed to his chest.

Jimin's low chuckle in my ear makes shivers run down my spine, and I can feel his lips against my ear as he speaks again. "There you go."

And his lips touch my ear, lightly at first, then he presses his mouth to the skin just below my ear, and I'm shaky, unsteady, not sure what the hell is happening as he kisses the skin of my neck, softly, his tongue lightly flicking over the skin.

Jimin...is kissing my neck. The annoying neighbor boy is holding me from behind, ten stories high on the edge of our apartment building, his tongue running over my skin.

And oh my God, I like it.

I can't pull away, can't speak at his breath, warm on my neck, and I can smell his scent, that same sweet, slightly spicy warmth from the other night, with less of the tobacco smell and more sweetness from the lollipop.

And so I just let his lips move over my skin, sending tingles down my spine.

I stare out over the city, at the lights below us as Jimin's lips move against my neck, sucking gently at the skin, trailing soft kisses downward. I cling to his arm over my shoulders, afraid if I let go I'm going to be so unsteady on my feet from his touch that I'll just stumble over the side, those ten stories to the sidewalk below.

My breathing quickens and I tilt my head back, my eyes half-closed at the sensation as he presses a kiss to the base of my neck, pulling the neck of my shirt down slightly to run his lips over my collarbone, and a slight shiver runs through me at his touch. I can feel his lips curve upward as I make a soft sound at the feeling of his teeth gently scraping my skin, and he pulls away, my skin still burning hot even though his lips are by my ear again, no longer touching my skin, his voice soft.

"Now, that's flirting with death."

I can hear the smirk on his lips even without turning to look, and I let out a shaky breath, feeling his arms loosen around me, half not wanting him to pull away. He lets go of me, jumping down onto the roof again, and I turn to get down, slightly unsteady from his touch.

Jimin holds out his hand and I look at him for a second, unsure, then realize he's helping me down. I meet his eyes and the corners of his lips turn upward as I reach out, taking his hand, jumping down onto the roof once more, lightheaded from the height. Well...more so from his lips on my skin, the way he held me, his breath on my neck...

Jimin lets go of my hand, uncharacteristically silent, and we walk slowly down the stairs to our floor. We pause between our doors and Jimin turns to me, a slight smirk playing across his lips, slightly red from the contact with my skin, his hair tousled from the wind and his fingers' constant habit of running through it.

"Night, babygirl."

I nod, not trusting my voice, and he slips inside his door, closing it softly behind him. I open my door, walking in as if in a daze, crawling back into bed. I curl up, tucking the blankets close around me, and I can't help the slight smile on my lips as I drift off.